I like my Mac laptop but I’d like to get some games for it. What’s the easiest way to add some fun to my computer?
While the app store for iOS has exploded with tens of thousands of programs – many of which are games! – Apple’s MacOS X app store is a bit more moribund. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t some good games there, but Mac users seem to channel most of their gaming onto their iPads and iPhones, from what I can see. There are also lots of pro level games from companies like Electronic Arts where you install them directly from the site. And we can’t forget Steam – at steampowered.com – which offers an environment within which you can purchase and play thousands of titles ranging from modest to crazy complicated.
Still, if you’re just looking for something to burn an hour or two and just want to have a straightforward browsing and installation procedure, all while being protected by Apple’s anti-malware measures, the Mac App Store is still your best friend. Best of all, it’s really easy to peruse and get going with a game directly.
To launch the Mac app store, choose “App Store…” from the Apple menu on the top left of your Mac. Then choose “Play” from the various categories of apps on the left side:
Notice the price of Divinity: Original Sin 2 at $44.99. There really are games at all sorts of price points here in the app store, though almost none that are free, disappointingly. Still a bit of poking around can find some that are focused more on in-app purchases if you dig:
Check out “Dive Inside” above to see how a free game looks. We’re not going to grab this one, however, because there’s a more fun in-app purchase focused game available in the App Store instead:
Pixel Starships Space MMORPG (though you can’t see the last word in the above screen capture. Oh, and MMORPG = massively multiplayer online role playing game, in case you’re not familiar with that acronym). Good ratings (4.6 out of 5), a reasonable number of ratings (127) and screenshots that suggest it’s going to be pretty fun and colorful, all good in a game!
To actually download and install the game for play, click on the blue “GET” button on the top right. You’ll need to validate your account (you don’t want random folk installing new software on your Mac, after all!).
Enter your password or scan your fingerprint, whatever you prefer. It’ll then download fairly quickly and the “GET” will turn into an “OPEN”, as shown:
You’re done! You found a game, downloaded it from the Mac App Store, and installed it. Woot!
To launch it and start playing, click on the “OPEN” button or find the new game in your Applications folder. Pixel Starships starts with a chance for you to specify if you want to play full screen or in a Window:
Make your pick, and you’re ready to go save the galaxy with your little 8-bit starship. If you can just figure out what kind of ship you really want…
And that’s all there is. Now, go find a few new games and have some fun on that Mac of yours!
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about Mac systems forever. Please take a few minutes and check out my extensive Mac help area for lots of useful tutorials while you’re here. Thanks.